The original World Cup trophy was stolen in Brazil in 1983. Now the England duplicate - created following security concerns - is going on display for one day only at the V&A

The original Jules Rimet trophy was made for the first 1930 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup. But it was famously stolen ahead of the tournament in 1966, and then discovered a week later by a dog named Pickles, wrapped in newspaper underneath a garden hedge in South London.

England went on to win the trophy and lift the original cup at Wembley. In response to security concerns, the Football Association then commissioned a duplicate cup from the silversmith George Bird to be used at public occasions, despite FIFA explicitly denying them permission to make a copy.

The new trophy was swapped for the original immediately after the final,
and was used for four years by the England team and players, as they
displayed their status as world champions.

The original Jules Rimet trophy was returned to FIFA for the next World Cup in 1970. The duplicate, which was not meant to exist, was hidden for many years under its creator’s bed.

In 1983, the original cup was again stolen, this time from display in Brazil, and has never been recovered. In 1997, the duplicate cup was purchased by FIFA, and is today displayed at the National Football Museum in Manchester.

“This duplicate is the closest anyone can get to seeing the trophy Bobby Moore lifted at Wembley 50 years ago,” says Tim Reeve, the Deputy Director of the V&A, where the trophy will go on show for one day only in the Raphael Gallery this Sunday, displayed alongside an original leather ball from the final match.

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